Soon-To-Be College Graduates Need Your Help as They Transition into Careers

Young graduates are coming out of college in a few short weeks. Some have had a smooth run, are graduating with a strong GPA, and have learned a lot of lessons along the way that will help them be ready for this next transition. Others have struggled more than their peers and are coming out of school with a more modest GPA. While some have internships, others do not. Many are crystal clear on what they want to be doing, others are deeply confused about their goals once they leave college.

What we know is over 2/3rds of the young adults who leave college this Spring will not have a job secured when they graduate. This cuts across all levels of GPAs, internship experience and majors. The reasons are often complicated and varied. About a third of those without jobs when they graduate will have a job within 90 days of graduating. For the rest it can take up to six months to secure that first professional role.

College Graduates Need Our Help – Here’s How You Do It

Here is the thing – they can all use advice and guidance from professionals who are out ahead of them in the work world. And they don’t always know how to ask you for it. At LaunchingU we have a network of professionals, like Leigh, who are delighted to do informational interviews with our clients. Leigh’s career is in publishing, and she was happy to talk with Camille about trends in the field, ways to stand out professionally, and to offer to connect Camille with others in the field who were closer to Camille’s specific interest area. She was generous with her time and encouraging and thoughtful about Camille’s ability to succeed in the publishing world. Their conversation, and the connections that followed, gave Camille more confidence in her ability to be successful in the field, and directional ideas about what to pursue. She is a better candidate because of their interaction.

You don’t need to have a coaching firm facilitating the conversation, to reach out and make a difference in a young person’s transition from college into their career. Many of you seeing this post are currently parents of college students. How are your son or daughters’ friends doing? Have the conversation with them that you would like an engaged and caring adult to have with your student. What about your nieces or nephews who are graduating – or your neighbors? There are many opportunities in your own network and life to help a student graduating. Ask them how their job search is going and talk with about their goals.

It is Important and Rewarding to Lend a Hand

At LaunchingU we train our clients how to ask for a bit of your time and push them hard to pick up the phone and call you. But in the meantime, you can reach out to them. Probe gently, ask a lot of questions, and share that you didn’t have all the answers when you were getting started. Help them frame their career goals if they aren’t totally clear. Offer to look at their resume. Think about whether you know someone else who it would be helpful for them to talk with – and offer to make an introduction. Connect with them on LinkedIn. Stay in touch. They will remember you.

Some of these graduates will be impressive, well-composed, and at ease. More of them are likely to be a bit stiff and awkward as they are trying to figure out how to do this – but they will all improve in confidence and skills if you reach out and take an active interest in their transition from college into their careers.

We would love to hear your stories about how this goes and if you feel like you could use some advice on how to do this, feel free to give us a call or email at the contact information below.